A UAE Sports Leader Builds for the Future

In addition to her position as an administrative manager at the Ministry of Health in the United Arab Emirates, Klaithem leads women’s programming with the Al Thiqah Club for Handicapped. In 2019, the club will host the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation World Games where Klaithem will train volunteers and bring awareness to adaptive sports in her country. Klaithem knows the important role she has to change perceptions about persons with disabilities because in the UAE, sports are linked with participation in school, and youth with disabilities often have limited access to education. Klaithem also knows that athletes with disabilities face negative perceptions and a lack of qualified coaches and trainers. Klaithem works to address these inequalities and hopes to establish a facility that builds a system of awareness about all disabilities through sports and physical activity.

For GSMP: Sport for Community 2019, Klaithem will be mentored by Peggy Turner, Adapted Sports Coordinator, and her team at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, TX.